Coal Car Derailed - Axle was Cut in Half!

6 1/2 inch thick axle cut in half caused this hopper car to derail. Not a
good day on the railroad. Hulcher to the rescue.
You'll see the cut in half axle along with several of the bearing parts which
had been thrown from the truck set along side the track. Bad wheel bearings
happen on the railroad cars. I have no way of knowing who had made
this bearing or where it was manufactured at. They are all sealed bearings
and thus cannot be greased.
This bearing was a Brenco. Amsted Rail-Brenco is located in Petersburg Va.
And from what I could find out that is where the bearings were manufactured.
I do know that axle bearings are subject to radial impact loading from jointed
rail as well as flat spots on wheels. In addition they are subject to axial
loads caused by lateral movement as the trains go thru curves. Thus there
is an uncommon amount of these stresses on the axle bearings just
from us having 16 miles of jointed track along with us having 70
curves over half of which are 7 degree or higher. Then there are
additional stresses on the bearings from sections of track that
may contain track perturbations as well as battered rail heads where
the car wheel will "hit" harder than in normal track conditions.
So with that said, we have had a greater amount of bearings go bad
over the years than many other railroads do and I think that a
big part of that is because of our track adding uncommon amounts
of stress to the bearings themselves.
It would be very interesting to me to talk with railroaders who
have all CWR and track with low degree curves to learn the
amount of bad bearings they encounter. I'm willing to bet it would
be a far less percentage than the amount of bad bearings we have.
The load limit on our aluminum hopper cars is 286,000 pounds. We
typically put 115 tons in each car. That is 230,000 pounds plus the
average empty car weight is 52,000. So that is 282,000 pounds which
means we are not over loading the cars.
Made March 18, 2022
Disclaimer: I am an employee of Iron Synergy at Cumberland
Mine. My job is railroad track maintenance. I am very fortunate to
have this job and everyone at the mine is very fortunate to have
Iron Synergy as it's current owner. Our past owners had every
intention of shutting this mine down, but Iron Synergy took
over and have kept this mine alive.
Please understand: I am NOT in any way an official or unofficial
spokes person for Iron Synergy or Cumberland Mine. Any viewpoints,
opinions or anything that I show in the videos, or write in the video
descriptions or any answer to any comment, should NEVER be
misconstrued or interpreted as being in any way shape or form,
any kind of official or unofficial statement from Iron Synergy,
Cumberland Mine, any of the mine's management, any of the
contractors that may be shown in any video, nor of any of
my fellow co-wokers.
Any viewpoints or opinions I may make in the videos, in the descriptions,
or in any answer to a comment is strictly that of my own and NOT an
official or unofficial statement or viewpoint that Iron Synergy or
any one at Iron Synergy or Cumberland Mine necessarily has or makes.
Again, we are very fortunate to have Iron Synergy as our current owners.
Please, when making a comment be respectful of Iron Synergy, Cumberland
Mine, my fellow coworkers and also any contractors that may be
shown. Thank You, Dave
#Derailment#BadBearing#BadWheelBearing

[@jonnycando]

It’s been my experience that while roller bearings last a long long time, when they go they go fast. Sometimes you can go over a hot box detector and it sees all good, and five miles later you’ve wrung a journal off! They die fast when they die.

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks for sharing with us jonnycando. We very much appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.

[@lawrenwimberly7311]

@@ccrx6700 Yup, as soon as any one roller gets compromised (grime, a big hit from an uneven track, or the seal leaks), it causes a critical mass type reaction and the whole thig disintegrates in minutes

[@alucard7218]

Hey Dave love your channel and the way you show a different take from most others! Much love from an Australian conductor 👍🇦🇺🇺🇲

[@TheNemosdaddy]

This is why we have more advanced detectors like Acoustic bearing detectors, to catch things early.

[@zenoelea8239]

Especially when loaded. Would be interesting to know: when the bearing was last overhauled, the condition and overhaul date of the bearing at the other end of the axle and if that wheel has run with flats in the past.

[@blancothevanchannel]

Your Company is doing a great service allowing you to teach us about railroading. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, you show the honest hardworking people who keep the loads on the rails.

[@SleeTheSloth]

Vary well said. :)

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the very nice comment. Things are not always pretty on the RR. Unwanted events happen on every RR. Lot of weight involved and with so many moving parts things sometimes get fluffed up. Really appreciate your taking in the show today my friend.

[@kennichdendenn]

Not only loads, also people! Even in the US, services like brightline exist and show that a train can be fast, cost effective and still quite comfortable. I'm from Germany though. We have more passenger than freight rail traffic. 33000 km (>20000 miles) of track in a country smaller in area than some of the US' states but packing a quarter of the population of the entire states, that of course makes it a bit easier for us.

[@rustyrobinson8027]

Agreed

[@johncamp2567]

Without doubt, that was the closest forensic inspection of a railroad roller-bearing one could expect to see, anywhere! It was a treat to see all the components and reminds me of the complexity all the parts working together for everyone’s safety.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you John, very glad you enjoyed the show. We certainly do appreciate your taking the time to tune in and watch my friend.

[@Bitterrootbackroads]

I have no railroad experience but have dealt with somewhat smaller bearing failures. Interesting to see recognizable remains of races, rollers, cage etc. At this point it seems not so much an actual forensic inspection to determine cause. Whatever the initial trigger was, it’s destroyed now. A forensic inspection in a case like this might consist of looking for “tell tale” signs of a problem somewhere up the track, and noting their distance before, or after, the hot box detector. The burned up pieces are interesting, but out of context now, and maybe not much use. That bearing would have been shedding assorted bits for some time, starting with boiled off & burnt oil / grease. Maybe some small bits of slag as the lighter pieces of shields or cage got hot enough to melt and drip off. Rollers or pieces of them might come next? If the bearing locked up and started to spin the inner race on the axle it could start melting that axle very fast. If it locked up and inner race stayed tight on axle, such that outer race was spinning in housing, one might expect more damage to truck / bearing housing? I guess it’s just damage to railroad property in this case, so fix it and lets go! If this bearing failure caused an incident like East Palestine, or involved fatalities, I’m sure NTSB type folks would be looking up track with microscopes, measuring & recording distances between initial signs of problems, smoking guns, etc. The FAA guys can find a piece of a trim tab 50 miles from a crash site and figure out the rest of the story!

[@spaceflight1019]

@@Bitterrootbackroads When I was a field service technician one of our clients, Johnstown Axle, made complete wheel, axle, and bearing assemblies. We calibrated the instruments that recorded the press pressure every three months. They used Brunco bearings back then and you never heard of a derailment caused by a faulty bearing. Everything is pressed together with many tons of force. The charts with the pressure readings are archived for future reference.

[@willb.383]

Really makes you appreciate just how heavy this equipment is when you see damage (and how quick it happened) like that. Numbers of tonnage can be thrown around easily but it means nothing when those cars glide over those rails with apparent ease. Once one tiny bit goes bad, it truly shows how massive these vehicles weigh. Thanks as always for the education, Dave!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Will for the very nice comment. Always is a pleasure to have you join in with us and write in my friend.

[@thomasmleahy6218]

I would suggest you check out "Train vs Tornado" on you tube. If you listen carefully, you'll hear the air "dump"when the emergency brakes set. That's the moment the tornado knocked cars off the track, train probably doing 40 mph or so. The sparks you see are from a tank car, no wheels under it speeding towards the engine that was stopped! Happened in lower Wisconsin.

[@AP9575-jd]

Thats was a piece of round, precision ground, harden steel at one time. Can you imagine what it took for it to get like that?! Seen that twice in my days on the railroad. Both were bad wrecks, took days to clear the main line. Hard to imagine your detector missed that or that happened in 6 miles. At least no one got hurt. Appreciate the time you put in to share these videos with us. Stay Safe.

[@irongoatrocky2343]

I think it also helped that the trains only run 25MPH on this railroad as well!......

[@ccrx6700]

Detector may have had a glitch, that does happen with electronics. But also there is a lot of weight on that bearing, seen some really strange stuff happen on the RR here over the years like you have too. Thanks for writing in and watching my friend.

[@tjr4744]

@@ccrx6700 Maintenance ... or lack there of.

[@nolankaplan6646]

The average person has no idea what it takes to move goods on a railroad. I am an engineer and work on passenger railroads and the work is always interesting. The forces involved in causing a large shaft to break and cause the damage it did to the coal car are enormous and Dave does a great job of showing us the consequences of the bearing failure.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you very much Nolan for the kind words and for taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.

[@mikep1085]

I'm thinking your hot wheel detectors need to be calibrated. I'm with you... that seems like a lot of damage in just a couple of miles after the detector. I'd be willing to bet the wheel was hot when it went past the detector.

[@ccrx6700]

It certainly is a way considerable amount of damage for such a short distance Mike. But also there is a considerable amount of weight on a bearing from a loaded coal car traveling at 25 mph. Tech did come in about 2 months ago and recalibrate the detector and as you know anything electronic sometimes has it's quirks. Thanks so much for visiting with us tonight my friend.

[@timatwell3728]

I would have to agree that took 1500* to 3000* to cut threw that solid steel even with the weighs that are on it don't no how far back it was from the engine but if in night time with all the curves he should have seen it blazing up if there were any grease in it but even without there would have been the fire and splatter coming off it if he ever looked back guess he just looked forward but things wear out over time but JMO but keep the video's coming

[@royreynolds108]

@@timatwell3728 I don't think there is enough grease in a roller bearing to cause a fire similar to a brass journal going dry and a fire of the oil and waste in the box. Based on a previous video, the cars seem to carry about 27,000 lbs per wheel or bearing on this railroad. That is enough for when metal on metal happens, friction is high and the temperature will climb very quickly.

[@mbvoelker8448]

I enjoy the simplicity and clarity of your videos. Many members of my mother's family worked on the Union Railroad when she was a girl and a young woman. I never heard any railroading stories when I was a child, perhaps they didn't think a little girl would care, but your videos make me feel closer to that part of family history.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you very much for the very nice comment. Glad you can relive some memories via these videos. We really appreciate your visiting with us and watching today my friend.

[@zephyrandboreas]

Lots of respect for your work. As a grandchild (not young anymore) of a couple who both workd for the railways, my grandfather was in the track maintenance crews, I grew up around trains and train tracks. I have a huge respect for your work. And truly appreciate your videos.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you so much for the very nice comment. Sure wish I could have talked with your grandfather. I would have been all ears. We would have gotten along great. Appreciate your visiting with us and writing in my friend.

[@Nswle]

Thanks for your videos. Very informative for us non rail readers. Keep em coming.

[@ccrx6700]

You are quite welcome Nswle, glad you are enjoying them. Thanks so much for taking the time to check out the coal car derailed video my friend.

[@gregstone1306]

There never seems to be a minor failure of your rolling stock or trackage. Your repairs always appear to require resources and time. Heavy large components that amaze me.

[@ccrx6700]

it does seem that way Greg. Keep watching thru the winter and you will see a bunch of videos to come out about catastrophes we've had here over the past year. But I guess you can say, we do things in a big way....LOL Thanks so much my friend for tuning in and watching tonight.

[@Hyrev1]

Wow, that is one mangled bearing. I imagine one of the bearing seals failed, letting the grease out, and it wasn't long after that bad things started happening. Thanks for showing us some of the pieces and parts of rail roadin! Another great, informative video Dave! 👍🚂🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃👍💯

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you, very glad you enjoyed the show. We certainly do appreciate your taking the time to tune in and watch my friend.

[@Eddy63]

Very interesting vid as usual Dave . Hard to believe the damage an overheated bearing can cause ... Thx for showing the locomotive as I could hear her purring in the background ...

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you very much, glad you had a good time. We very much appreciate your tuning in to the channel and watching tonight my friend.

[@dchurch2012]

Another great video! I have always been a "failure junkie" - people often think things just fail, but there is always a story to the failure. I will have to research railroad car bearing construction now; I was watching a "Mayday" disaster program about an SP derailment back in the 80s. It was actually shocking to see how the train derailed. It over-speeded coming through the Cajon pass (weight estimate was lower than the actual train weight and there were some failed dynamic brakes involved). The axles actually melted! (along with the bearings). Just goes to show how much energy is involved and how carefully everything has to be monitored. It does seem with bearings that everything is fine until it isn't;

[@ccrx6700]

It's amazing a 6 1/2 inch solid axle can melt down to a nub, but you are right David about the energy involved to do that. Thank you very much for taking the time to visit with us and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@ericcoffedgp40]

That is absolutely incredible! I can't believe how that axle wore! Those side boom Caterpillars were a real treat to see. In 2019 I had the opportunity to get up close and personal with Winters Rigging's Caterpillar 583K sideboom crawlers. They were real beasts. My neighbor across the street from me used to run a IH TD25 pipelayer.

[@frankoch1]

Go Bills

[@ericcoffedgp40]

@@frankoch1 Right on!

[@ccrx6700]

Those were 583K's Eric. An awesome machine Cat made back then, tons of them still in service. Axle failure was due to global warming initiated by man made Co2.....LOL Always is a pleasure to have you visit with us my friend.

[@ericcoffedgp40]

@@ccrx6700 Haha, I hear ya! 😆

[@valeriebassett3107]

Great video Dave. All of this is so interesting. It is amazing how hard so many people work and how much their hard work affects so many others. I really appreciate everyone that works at your company, especially you!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Valerie, very glad you enjoyed the show. We certainly do appreciate your taking the time to tune in and watch my friend.

[@bryandraughn9830]

It's so interesting to see a failure like this. Id be interested in learning more about how failures have contributed to better designs. Those are some amazing machines! Great video!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Bryan for the nice comment and for taking the time to watch. Glad you could join in with us. Happy rails to you until we meet again my friend.

[@raymondsprengelmeyer1278]

Interesting stuff Dave, that is some serious destruction! Bearing failure taken to a new level with the weight being carried. Thank you for sharing Dave!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Raymond, very glad you enjoyed the show. We certainly do appreciate your taking the time to tune in and watch my friend.

[@beverlymichael5830]

Always something different you bring us with each video. Keeping you busy. Wow the weight of all the equipment is amazing. Keep ‘em rolling Dave.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Beverly, very glad you enjoyed the show. We certainly do appreciate your taking the time to tune in and watch my friend. Got a lot of cool stuff heading your way in December that no one ever gets to see.

[@Trains-With-Shane]

Definitely not a part of railroading you want to see but it makes for an interesting show and tell none the less. Man i'll bet that thing was absolutely screaming before it let go, too. Not good that it happened but very cool to see the bits and pieces after the fact. I'll bet that it was just worn out due to age. Bad luck that it hadn't reached the alarm threshold by the time it crossed over that detector. I'll bet that would have saved the day. I saw a video a while back on another channel where some similar heavy track lifts were used to clear and re-set some cars and even a locomotive after a derail. Those fellows are surgeons with those monsters and probably made quick work of your issue. Thanks for sharing it with us, Dave! Hope you had a good Thanksgiving! -Shane

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks Shane for the very thoughtful comment. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend. Yes, that's railroading but like you say, not a part you want to see happen.

[@davidcora2751]

Very interesting stuff. Bad stuff is inevitable the people who fix and maintain this stuff are super valuable.

[@ccrx6700]

All railroads have problems, some more than others David, but you usually don't see what goes on in other railroads because they don't allow filming on site. But you are right, maintenance is very important. Very much appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.

[@fireballxl-5748]

On things I worked on (not railroad stuff) I was never a fan of sealed bearings. I prefer the old fashioned way of re-greasing bearings. That way they are visually inspected, given new grease and IMO last longer. Maybe I'm full of b.s. too. Anyway it gave us an interesting video. Thanks Dave!

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Fireball. I can agree with your line of thinking on that. Very much appreciate your visiting with us today and watching my friend.

[@Boilermaker-Rick]

Thanks for sharing the video Dave! I've been emailing Pappy keeping him updated on my recovery. Still a lot of soreness and slow healing. I hope I can get out soon and take some train videos to post.

[@ccrx6700]

Your very welcome Rick. Thanks so much for taking in tonight's home movie. We are keeping you in our prayers my friend. The older we get the longer it takes to heal, but that's life, at least you are on the road upward and for that we are thankful.

[@bhuff123]

Thank you for the videos for showing the good and the bad side keep the videos coming

[@ccrx6700]

Your certainly welcome. Glad you enjoyed. We very much appreciate your visiting with us and taking in today's home movie my friend.

[@johnsmart964]

Thank you for bringing us this very interesting and informative video presentation, it is always sad to see these things happen but one can only do so much as far as preventing these incidents is concerned. The, 'post mortem', is always an important aspect of getting an understanding of the cause of the problem.

[@ccrx6700]

Your certainly welcome John. Glad you enjoyed. We very much appreciate your visiting with us and taking in today's home movie my friend. I guess I did do an "autopsy" on it.... LOL

[@wilburroth5150]

Hope there wasn`t much damage to the line. I think that detector needs to be checked. No one got hurt and it looks like minimal damage and didn`t lose a car. Thanks for showing us all that damage.

[@ccrx6700]

Only bout a dozen bolts sheared off Wilbur, no big deal there. Things could have been much, much worse. Thanks so much for watching my friend.

[@two6520]

Thanks for sharing. I demand you stay safe and warm out on them rails!

[@ccrx6700]

Like my mom used to tell us when we were kids and she wanted us to do something, Fort Apache Orders. Sir yes sir. Appreciate your stopping by and watching my friend.

[@andrewlewis3486]

You are a happy man! Playing with grown-up trains.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Andrew, guess what not to be happy about, get to play with big boy trains and get paid to do it.... LOL Appreciate your joining in with us and watching the show my friend.

[@briankemp5206]

A lot of carnage for 6.5 miles. Thanks for sharing Dave, another great video!

[@ccrx6700]

your welcome Brian, very glad you enjoyed the show. We certainly do appreciate your taking the time to tune in and watch my friend.

[@rickcooper6817]

She got a little warm I believe. We were talking the other day about materials and quality and I wonder just how many times you can recycle metal before it becomes junk. Things sure aren't what they once were. Thanks Dave for the update and you and the Ms. have a good evening.

[@fitchmichael3975]

Metal can be recycled infinitely... But what makes modern stuff junk is the cuts to quality and the extra stuff in there (I.e. heat-treated differently, machine marks left instead of polished, etc.)

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks Rick. Really appreciate your visiting with us and writing in my friend.

[@daymoncleveland0622]

This channel is criminally underrated my friend. Best wishes to you, and thank you for the very informative videos. I feel like I’m actually railroading ✊🏼

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Daymon for the really nice comment. Very glad to hear you are having a good time watching the home movies my friend. We certainly do appreciate all your wonderful support of the channel.

[@ronhelman3985]

Great video Dave, sorry for the derail my friend but that's railroadin as you say glad no one was hurt. stay safe my friend!!!!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Ron, very glad you enjoyed the show. We certainly do appreciate your taking the time to tune in and watch my friend.

[@kg4muc]

That was super hot!! Sealed roller bearings seem like they are fine until they’re not. Not much warning Amazing how it warmed up to melting in just a few miles. Not much of a way to say when they will fail. Glad there were no injuries except that one truck set lol

[@ccrx6700]

You are right about that Wayne. That's the problem with sealed bearings, they don't give you much advance warning when they are ready to go. Thank you very much for tuning in and watching the video and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@richardaustin2640]

Very interesting video Dave. The details gave an insight into aspects most would never get to see. I think the most important thing was that you avoided a nastier and potentially very messy outcome! It certainly is a case of "that's railroading"!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Richard, very glad you enjoyed the show. We certainly do appreciate your taking the time to tune in and watch my friend.

[@alandaters8547]

Thanks again for your usual detailed explanation. I was all ready to ask you how the axles got those scuff marks near the center, but you even covered that and showed the damage done on the frame. Another great job!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Alan, very glad you enjoyed the show. We certainly do appreciate your taking the time to tune in and watch my friend.

[@kevindavis6042]

I'd have to say that this bearing was cooking for a while longer than 6 miles Quite frankly bearings go bad they are mechanical devices doesn't matter where they come from In my opinion your HWD is the main culprit in not catching this sooner that bearing or what's left of it had to have been red or white hot by the time it had failed completely given the looks of it and it had been seized up on the axle for some amount of time to get that hot I'm a mechanic and these are my observations I'm not a rail guy I am a auto guy My advice is get the sensor fixed or replaced and run a thorough check on all your gear in order to prevent this problem in the future In my experience s#@t like this happens in waves Thankfully no one got hurt in this incident Keep the video coming and have a safe and warm day

[@ccrx6700]

Detector may have had a glitch Kevin, that does happen with electronics. But also there is a lot of weight on that bearing, seen some really strange stuff happen on the RR here over the years. Thanks for writing in and watching my friend.

[@rickbutcher5016]

I’ve worked on pipeline for almost 10 years now and have seen many of those side booms out on the ROW picking up 40-80 foot joints of pipe like they were matchsticks. Very incredible to watch. I’ve done a lot of work up in your area up around PA, OH and WV. 😊

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Rick for the nice comment and for sharing your experiences with us. Those side booms are amazing what they can pick up! Really appreciate your visiting with us and checking out the video. May you have a most blessed day my friend.

[@iwens1966]

I have never seen a bearing fail in such an epic fashion. The races turned into bubble gum. That’s pretty impressive.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you very much Scott for taking the time to watch the video and write in my friend.

[@TriGogglin]

Dag Gum It, Blow out!!! Great coverage for us on this one Dave. You can tell by that orange metal, that baby was HOT 🔥 good thing it didn't topple any of the cars. Thanks for the great post.

[@ccrx6700]

Sure wish I knew what temperature that bearing got to Pappy. These darn silly cars, they never let you know in advance when they are going to fluff up. I could have mounted a camera on this one and watched the whole destruction, now how cool would that have been! We need to get better communicating cars....LOL Always a pleasure to have you stop by my good friend.

[@TriGogglin]

@@ccrx6700 oh man, yeah could you imagine seeing that implode, wow...

[@PlanetMojo]

Wow that axle must have gotten tremendously hot! A lot of forces at work, hopefully you can get that car repaired quickly and getter back to work!

[@ccrx6700]

Lot of weight and friction going on there. We've had axles cut in half like that before we got the hot wheel detector. Wish I could have found the other end of this axle but it must have rolled down over the embankment where I couldn't find it. Very much appreciate your visiting with us and watching my friend.

[@es2061]

Looks like a very interesting career you have. Hopefully a lot of the younger guys are getting into this field.

[@ccrx6700]

We do get into a wide variety of things here E S. Variety is the spice of life my dad always said. Yes I do enjoy railroading. Appreciate your taking the time to watch the video and write in my friend.

[@ericsikma4764]

What's interesting is "running wild" with all of the numbers. Between parts, contractors, time, insurance, labor, etc., etc., etc., it all translates to one COSTLY wheel bearing. 😯 No thanks on being on the receiving end of THAT repair bill!

[@rearspeaker6364]

that phone call starts at 20k and goes up from there.

[@ccrx6700]

Your right Eric, so many other things involved with something like this. But that's railroading. Always enjoy hearing from you my friend.

[@tomedgar4375]

Content we can’t see anywhere else, Thanks Dave! Keep them coming.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Tom, very glad you enjoyed. We certainly appreciate your tuning in and watching the video tonight my friend.

[@mattberg916]

Lots of friction welding going on in that bearing adapter. Always a blessing to have no injuries and seems like little damage

[@ccrx6700]

It sure did get pretty hot Matt. yes sir, things could have been much worse, I'm like you, glad no one got injured. Thank you so much for stopping by and watching the show my friend.

[@johnnycee5179]

Beautiful area you work and live in Dave. This is a rerun for me but it feels like the first time

[@ccrx6700]

Yes it is a nice area to live Johnny. Very much appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@danherrmann8755]

What a mess. Thanks for the video. Tells me to stay back at railroad crossings. Later.

[@ccrx6700]

Stay back at railroad crossings Dan....:-) Your right, never know what kind of things might happen and when it happens on the railroad it's usually ugly. We were really lucky on this one only 1 truck set derailed, it sure could have been a whole lot worse! Very grateful my friend for your taking the time to visit with us and check out the derailment video.

[@fredygump5578]

The amount of energy it took to do that much damage is incredible! Hard to comprehend. Bearings are extremely hard steel, but it got mashed together like play dough! And friction "just" sliced through a 6 1/2" forged axle. You don't see that every day!

[@mikefochtman7164]

Even more impressive when you realize that the locomotive pulling that car, probably didn't even 'notice' the drag. I mean when you're pulling 38 fully loaded cars, one bad bearing just a bit more drag to the locomotive.

[@ccrx6700]

Your absolutely right Mike, almost no increase in the amps on the loco from one wheel off. Specially when you consider in the rear loco is pushing. Operator never had a clue.

[@sop2510]

NS's hot wheel detector didn't miss the hot axle at East Palestine, OH. BTW, your opening shot reminded me of the wonderful secondary roads in southwestern PA! Thanks!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you very much for taking the time to check out the presentation my friend. We really appreciate your visiting with us.

[@lynntaubeneck7383]

Dave, what are you guys doing up there? Coal in the tunnel, broken axels, bad thermal detectors. Never a dull moment on your railroad. Can't you derail and empty once in a while? LOL

[@ccrx6700]

We do have our share of bad luck Lynn, but nowhere near as bad as NS is having right now. Those guys are in hot water with all their recent derailments, another one today, 30 cars off in Alabama. Very much appreciate your watching and writing in. May you have a most blessed day my friend.

[@TheStowAway594]

I wonder what temp that got up too? And all in 6 miles I think you said, wow. I'm glad no one was hurt, I always found it amazing how quickly the railroads fix derailments and other major problems, and how well everyone seems to work together. I don't know if they just hide it better, or if the "team" attitude is just a lot better, but at my work everyone argues about everything, and they waste tons of time doing it. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever met a railroader that wasn't proud of being a railroader.

[@ccrx6700]

Appreciate the very nice comment The StowAway. Most railroaders I know are indeed proud to be one and take pride in their work. Thank you for taking the time to write in and for checking out the video my friend.

[@trenamerritt5344]

Wow!! That could have ended far worse, but glad it didn't! That twisted metal sure got hot! Glad for your shared knowledge, and again, for the explanations - I get a question fly thru my mind, and you answer it one way or another. Sure appreciate your dedication there to those rails and I can't imagine them without your care! Thanks for Sharing!!

[@ccrx6700]

Your very welcome Trena. Glad you enjoyed. really appreciate your very nice comment and for watching the show today my friend.

[@NSBlack_Stallion]

Everything on the railroad is super duty and heavy except for the kingpin the body rides on. I’ll never figure that one out. Enjoyed the video, Dave. Keep ‘em rolling.

[@ccrx6700]

That pin looks like it's about 1 1/2 inch in diameter, I never really measured it. I've seen them bent pretty . Weak link in the chain. Appreciate your visiting with us today and taking in the show my friend.

[@yo_marc]

That is amazing amount of carnage with that axle and bearing. Really shows us how much weight and stress these parts are under. Still hard to imagine such heavy duty parts like that getting smudged like they’re cheap plastic. Anyway - Thanks for sharing!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you very much for taking the time to write in and share your thoughts. We do appreciate your visiting with us and watching my friend. Glad you enjoyed the show.

[@tomeasley5979]

Dave, another fantastic video. Thanks so much for sharing this with us. Bearings are awesome until they fail.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Tom, very glad you enjoyed the home movie today. We really appreciate your visiting with us and watching my friend.

[@ralfie8801]

You know something is off track when Hulcher shows up with the side booms - it means fun is about to be had by all!

[@ccrx6700]

That video was made last March and fortunately Hulcher has not been back since, keep your fingers crossed, cause we are now about due for another one.... Seems like we get a lion's share of the bad luck, but then again, everything here is aged and very well worn. I'm sure you can relate to that railfie. Always is a pleasure to have you pay us a visit and write in my friend. I do have respect for you and what you do.

[@Lawrence-St.Lawrence1701]

Mr. Dave. The axle is the section between the wheels. The part you are referring to is the journal, which indeed is on the outside of the wheel. Thank you for another excellent video sir!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Lawrence for taking the time to watch and write in with the info my friend.So glad you enjoyed the home movie.

[@johncloar1692]

Well Dave as you say That's Railroading. Thanks for the video! Have a good day my friend.

[@ccrx6700]

Yes it is John, sadly tho, not a part of railroading you want to see, but it happens. Always appreciate your joining in with us my friend.

[@Tolono]

You seemed surprised the gladhand didn't look damaged, so here's some clarification: Gladhands are designed to be quick-disconnects. When uncoupling, the coupler is opened and the gladhands separate as the cars move apart -- the air line is _never_ separated by hand as there's a lot of air pressure that pushes the gladhands apart. In other words, they are always pulled apart and this will not damage them. The air line must break at the first sign of a problem because going into emergency is often the only way the crew knows something's wrong. In the case you mentioned where the track was torn up for a mile (an in-line derailment), they were unaware of the situation because the air line didn't separate. Glad it did here. Thanks for the video, David

[@ccrx6700]

I was surprised David that the train operator when he told me they had gotten damaged and pulled apart which is why he said the train went into emergency. I was unable to find any damage to them, guess I did not clearly express what I was meaning in the video, anyway thanks for the info as many folks would not know about how they separate. Appreciate your dropping by and watching today my good man.

[@Tolono]

Ah, all good. Maybe others will learn something. David

[@jimpokorny4598]

I bet that bearing sounded like a screaming bobcat before it fell off. Dave, you have way too much fun on that job. Stay safe.

[@ccrx6700]

Don't like having this kind of fun tho Jim.... But it happens and that's railroading. Thank you for the kind comment and for watching my friend.

[@TheyCallHimDietSeth]

Hey Dave, what a fascinating video! Absolutely incredible to see how quickly the bearing that wasn't nearly hot enough to set off the detector go to full destruction mode. And so impressive to see how much damage can be caused. Really enjoyed the thorough display of every piece. I hate to see this type of thing as well but am glad to have your insight. Thank you for sharing! Also, I'm sure you get tired of hearing it but I just love the sound of 3098 idling with the constant spitter valve going off. I don't know why, but I love how that sounds.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Seth, very glad you enjoyed the show. We certainly do appreciate your taking the time to tune in and watch my friend. There nothing not to like about the sound of a 645E3

[@mackfisher4487]

Dave, interesting stuff thanks to you and your company for allowing it to be presented. Your hesitancy at speculating the reason for the failure is understandable, one can't make statements because of liability you're a smart man. I bet your fellows had some interesting conversations around morning coffee.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Mack. Glad you enjoyed. We very much appreciate your visiting with us and taking in today's home movie my friend.

[@dboatube]

another great vid dave!!! bummer that happened. six miles?!?!? wow... to melt off what looks like a foot of 6 1/2 inch steel I think that would have to be a heck of allot more then 6 miles of stress/heating/rubbing etc. sounds like it may have been along time at low stress/heating and then bang.. one last blow broke it off. I have seen sealed roller bearings (much smaller then yours) in very bad shape when taken out for inspection and rehab that looked like they should have fallen apart on the drive to the garage, let alone last 10's of thousands of miles without being a problem.. we will never know how much more time it would have lasted in that shape before falling apart. glad that bearing blow up did not cause a major problem for your company.. hope you can find the rest of the pieces for a forensic analysis.

[@ccrx6700]

Detector may have had a glitch, that does happen with electronics. But also there is a lot of weight on that bearing, seen some really strange stuff happen on the RR here over the years. Thanks for writing in and watching my friend.

[@paullanyi516]

What an excellent video of that bearing damage. I know it takes about 60 tons of pressure to press one of those onto the axle end.

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed Paul. Thank you very much for checking out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@jeffryblackmon4846]

The sealed bearing seems to have lost its seal and the lube ran out? Glad you can smile after all that. Thanks for an interesting video.

[@ccrx6700]

Seal could have gone bad and grease leaked out Jeffrey, we will never know that, bearings sometimes just get worn out and the rollers or cages crush too, we just don't know what caused this and with no way to find out. Appreciate your checking out the bad bearing show my friend.

[@donmoody546]

We love your videos, your pretty cool to. Thank you.. cheers from Toronto Canada 🇨🇦 🤓✌️

[@ccrx6700]

Very glad to hear you are enjoying them Don. Thanks for the nice comment and for taking the time to check out the coal car derailed video my friend.

[@eugeneellison6479]

All I can say is wow!!!!! There was a lot of damage. You look pretty strong, so I bet you could throw those weights around like Frisbees lol!! Great video makes me sad to see damage to cars like that.

[@ccrx6700]

Appreciate the kind words Eugene, glad you enjoyed. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and check out the video my friend.

[@billsmith3195]

Quitechard to believe that an axel can burn off like that. When I was at IEC Holden I was looking at an axel and wheels assemnkes onto a traction motor and it was impressively large and my thought went to failures like you have shown us today. Its quite impressive. Thanks again Dave for a consistently informative channel.

[@ccrx6700]

It is amazing isn't it Bill. I've seen this happen before in the past an axle cut in half. Wow. But lot of weight on those cars. Hope all is well in S. Africa with you and family my friend.

[@billmoran3812]

Wow, that was quite a spectacular failure. I’ve seen bad bearings before, but none that completely chewed off the axle. Shows what the weight of a fully loaded car can do.

[@ccrx6700]

It certainly was Bill. Glad you enjoyed. We very much appreciate your visiting with us and taking in today's home movie my friend. We've had several cars in the past to do this, chew the axle in half, never a wanted event. Sure wish I could have found the other end of that axle, but suspect it went rolling down over the embankment where I couldn't find it. I have found a couple of them in the past, wish I had kept them now.

[@lawrenwimberly7311]

Those springs, bearing races, and axles are GOLD for blacksmiths

[@shoominati23]

All metals belong to the STATE! Thieves will be sent to the GULAG!!

[@ccrx6700]

Got lot's of springs too my friend.

[@lawrenwimberly7311]

@@ccrx6700 Springs, rail clips, make great tough knives

[@shirleyharrington-moore9657]

I enjoyed your video, Dave. With the weight and speed the cars sometimes travel, we are fortunate there aren't more derailments from older cars. The cars CCRX use probably don't go fast. But the constant weight would certainly stress the metal axles and wheels. I continue to be amazed at cars being held to trucks by a simple pin.

[@ccrx6700]

Another big problem we have Shirley that many RR;s don't is, we have all jointed track and a lot of high degree curves, both of which create much more stress on bearings than track that is all welded rail and less degree curves. Bearings are made for the weight of the loaded cars, although bearings over many years time will tend to wear out.

[@shirleyharrington-moore9657]

@CNGuy1987 so the bearings are steel, but would tungsten bearings last longer or cost too.much?

[@kg4muc]

Had to bring in the big Cats for this job 😊. Glad no one was hurt in the course of the derailment. That bearing did some serious heating up between the two tsa’s Thanks for showing us the root of the problem

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome, very glad you enjoyed the show. We certainly do appreciate your taking the time to tune in and watch my friend.

[@espeescotty]

Boy, the RR got lucky on that one, with the minimal damage overall. Thanks, Dave!

[@ccrx6700]

Yes we certainly did get lucky, things could have been a whole lot worse, and there wasn't any track tore up other than a few sheared off bolts. Really nice of you to drop by and watch Scotty.

[@d.l.d.l.8140]

You know a lifetime on the railroad can do similar things to your body. 😂 Thanks, never seen that up close.

[@ccrx6700]

You are so right about that, railroading in a great life but pretty hard on ones body. Great to hear you enjoyed. Was very nice of you to stop by and check out the video my friend.

[@jasonboche]

That's Railroadin! Thank you and stay safe!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts Jason and you are welcome. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and take in the video my friend.

[@tzadik36]

Thanks for this video! Having a box at the side of the road to read the temperature of axles passing by is so stone-agey! instead, a thermistor or a thermocouple at each axle, all connected to the braking system just like the air pressure hoses, would be more reliable and effecient.

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Robin. Appreciate your dropping by and taking in the video my friend.

[@Gump327]

That is incredible how much damage can occur in that amount of time!

[@ccrx6700]

Lot's of weight and yes it is amazing, this isn't the first axle we've had get cut in half. But that's railroading, just not a part of railroading you want to see happen. Thanks so much for stopping by and watching my friend.

[@animenut69]

Remember watching one of those sidebooms drag the frisco 1522 a ways when it fell between the rails on a tight wye. Impressive how much pulling power those winches have.

[@ccrx6700]

Yes it is, I read once what they can pick up, it was unbelievable, can't remember the exact figure tho. Thanks for watching the show today my friend.

[@Justone372]

Thank you for the walk through and enjoy the rest of your day too.

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Ira, glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.

[@modelenginerding6996]

That's some serious friction welding! All that slag. Very fascinating. Thanks for sharing.

[@ccrx6700]

Your certainly welcome. Glad you enjoyed. We very much appreciate your visiting with us and taking in today's home movie my friend.

[@opieshomeshop]

As Tim Allen used to say on home improvement... Ooohh nnooooooo........ Those bearings are really hard so doesn't surprise me that the Axle got chewed up as much as it did. Probably no grease on the Adler wheels. Slash the rail bolts too. Nothing you can do except get some Duff beer and sit back and relax, just don't get too Izzy. Luckily, you're on the job. Interesting history on the mine. I would have never guessed. 🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂

[@ccrx6700]

I like the beer idea David. Come to think of it, I just may right now take your excellent suggestion.... :-) Always is a pleasure to hear from you my friend. Awaiting the sauce video....

[@opieshomeshop]

@@ccrx6700 I got the metal blade for my Cuisinart finally but it's fitting loose. I'm going to try it on something else and if it works then I'll do the video sometime this week.

[@michaelball760]

75 degrees? Your warmer than us! Past week highest we've had was about 62.

[@ccrx6700]

That video was made last March 18, it's 27 here tonight, gonna be 50 tomorrow. Rail gonna be moving a good bit with that much temp fluctuation. 62 must be heaven for you Michael.

[@rearspeaker6364]

@@ccrx6700 with all the rail movement, do the rails actually drift downhill toward the loader, mainly just curious.

[@gravelydon7072]

@@rearspeaker6364 They do at Cass WV. The way they get around it is by having a section of track that looks like a derail feed rail into the track on the downhill side.

[@HugsBach]

Always learning about railroading from you. Thank you 😊 🤗

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the very nice comment. Really glad you are enjoying the videos. We certainly appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.

[@tuna22lm]

I love all the different types of railroading equipment that has been developed for working on the railway, some of that equipment is pretty fancy and technical, they are really cool looking pieces of equipment. I wished I had started on the railway when I was a lot younger I sure miss it.

[@ccrx6700]

It is amazing all the wonderful machines they now have. The older you get the more we appreciate hydraulics!!!

[@tuna22lm]

@@ccrx6700 That is for sure, love them hydraulics.

[@phat-motoxer9022]

My first job was working for FSA in Ontario California rebuilding wheel bearing. Really loved that job. I was going to say they stamp the remanufactured company logo on the seal but doesn't look like anything is left

[@ccrx6700]

Yep not much left of the stamp on these... :-) Really appreciate your dropping by and taking in the video today my friend.

[@38911bytefree]

Wild !!!. Theses melted parts are keepers !!!!!

[@ccrx6700]

I've got them in my garage for keepsakes bytefree! Glad you could take the time to watch the car derailed show my friend.

[@johnwaby4321]

Wow Dave that sure must have got very hot to cause all That damage .👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@ccrx6700]

Yep I sure would like to know how hot it got John! Thank you for paying us a visit and checking out the video today my friend.

[@melchristian8876]

Yes I enjoy your videos each and every one of them I'm learning so much from you is very educational to me thank you for sharing have a wonderful night

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Mel, very glad you are enjoyed the home movies. We certainly do appreciate your taking the time to tune in and watch my friend.

[@garymessina1609]

That bearing had to be in trouble before the hot wheel detector but who knows thank you Dave for a great video

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Gary, very glad you enjoyed the show. We certainly do appreciate your taking the time to tune in and watch my friend.

[@davidsnyder2000]

Liked and subscribed….. especially after this particular video👍 I never knew this kind of damage happens on trains. I get it that stuff wears out like everything else does, but it never crossed my mind how serious some of these things can be. Have never seen a bearing that burnt and mangled. Glad nobody was injured from the failure 🙏 But thank you for posting these videos…..this one was really cool to learn from🙂👍

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you David and welcome to our community, we are glad to have you with us and hope you will continue to enjoy. Here is an introduction video to get you a feel for what all we do here at the Railroad and a bit about our mine: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pYDYmGOwaJlkZ5o Lot's of cool RR videos on our home page if you would sometime care to check any of them out. kzbin.info

[@lewistodd9242]

Ouch Dave, that must have been really hot for that kind of damage. Have a great day my friend..

[@ccrx6700]

it certainly must have been Lewis. Silly cars, they never let you know when they are going to fluff up. If they had, I would have put a camera on this car and watched all the action unfold. Really appreciate your visiting with us today my friend.

[@StormySkyRailProductions]

Interesting video as always Dave. We enjoyed watching and have a great rest of your evening.(Steve)

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed the show Steve. Always is a pleasure to have you join in with us and watch my good friend.

[@StormySkyRailProductions]

@@ccrx6700 You are very welcome.

[@texaswonderer5564]

It's never boring around there. Ever railroad has its bad days. Sure was a good video

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you texaswonderer. Glad you liked the show. We always appreciate your stopping by and watching my friend.

[@ericberman4193]

It’s interesting how the side-boom cats have replaced both railroad wrecker cranes as well as rubber-tired truck cranes as the preferred equipment to clear wrecks and re-rail rolling stock and motive power. Do you have any idea of when the side-booms started taking over?

[@ccrx6700]

Sometime back in the late 60's? There is a video on Mr. Hulcher on YT that tells how he got started so you may want to search for that one.

[@lonewolf1401]

That's a great video thank you for explaining everything. Puts a little bit more perspective on why trains derail and what happens thank goodness for rail detectors

[@ccrx6700]

Your very welcome Lone Wolf, so glad you enjoyed. We really appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend. I like your username, that could describe me. We might get along well together.

[@joshuam.6404]

When you were telling the history of the old mine it got me thinking: imagine if we could cue up a video and testimony of the daily operations of a short line railroad in 1922? How interesting that would be? So while you’re doing these videos, a reminder that you’re chronicling history. These are events that happened and techniques used in our times. So no pressure Dave, but someone in 2122 could be watching this video and learning from you 😁 and if they are, maybe they’ll give this comment a like 👋😉

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks Joshua for the very nice comment Joshua. I am well aware of every video I make will perhaps be seen by some railroader out there 50 years from now looking up on YT how to drive a spike or change a servo valve on a tamper or..... etc. Actually these videos are also being made as a way to train my replacement. maybe not all of them, but I do share a lot of track work techniques and tamper stuff that you really can't find anywhere else on YT. Might interest you to know that several foreman on some big RR's have written in the past that they use some of my videos for training new hires. How cool is that.

[@erinconnelly7339]

Passed through Amarillo yesterday, I couldn’t see what company was doing the cleanup but one of them was cleaning up a coal train wreck on the east side of the city just north of I-40 on BNSF trackage.

[@ccrx6700]

It's an unfortunate part of railroading Erin, only with that kind of weight it's often pretty ugly. Do a search for the NS derailment last week at Hanover WV. That ones not pretty. Thanks so much for visiting with us and watching the video my friend.

[@stevieb.1473]

That axel is 6 1/2" thick. You can clearly see the heat affected zone in the overheated areas caused by rotational friction in that axel. Steel starts to turn a purplish blue color around 500 degrees. That thing was cooking for a long while I'm sure of it!!! The hot box detectors aren't right Dave.

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks for sharing the info with us Steve. Electronic devices don't work 100%, 100% of the time. Also there is a lot of weight and friction on that bearing going down track. With that much weight once a bearing starts to go, it often does go bad really quick, however to shear that big of an axle in half you would certainly think it took a lot longer time to happen. Appreciate your stopping by and watching today my friend.

[@derrickodyes1934]

My guess is your detector misread temp seems like 6 miles darn quick for that meltdown

[@ccrx6700]

Electronics on occasion do mess up. No argument on that Derrick. 2 and 2 don't add up here. You may certainly be right. Thank you so much for watching and writing in today my friend.

[@jefftoft5568]

Another great video Dave really enjoyed your explanation of everything very informative. Thanks again Dave!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment Jeff. Glad you liked the show. Always is a pleasure to have you join in with us my friend.

[@sdrailfan892]

Thanks for sharing. Did a number on that bearing.

[@ccrx6700]

Your very welcome SDRail Fan. Thanks so much for taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.